Toyota plans to blast off its entry to the worldwide electric space with its first all-electric compact crossover SUV, Toyota bZ4X with extended driving ranges for both its entry-level FWD model and the lower-end version.
Toyota is a world-famous auto manufacturer that offers us high-quality and high-value cars, trucks, and vans. However, this eminent automaker was not ready at all to step onto the electric space, thus offering the auto admirers electric products featured with high durability and effective performance. Although Toyota has gifted us with hybrid automobiles and even hydrogen fuel electric vehicles, their reluctance towards the production and development of battery fuelled electric vehicles seems to be so odd even at the time of surged demand for electric vehicles.
However, now Toyota is ready to take up this task to produce and develop battery electric vehicles amidst the tough rivals in the industry market like General Motors, Hyundai, Tata, etc. Toyota comes forward with a battery-electric compact crossover SUV ‘Toyota bZ4X’ that is not only Toyota’s first all-electric coupe but also the prime model in the specialized series of a company, ‘Toyota bZ’ (beyond Zero) range in which the company targets to build zero-emission vehicles.
Toyota bZ4X electric SUV to offer a longer driving range
Toyota bZ4X was already shown up at the event of Auto Shangai in 2021 as ‘bZ4X Concept’ and was planning to go on worldwide sale in mid-2022. Currently, the company comes up with an objective to extend the already claimed range in the production model for Europe. The company has already announced at the Shangai show that Toyota bZ4X will be available in two versions FWD( Front Wheel Drive) and RWD( Rear Wheel Drive) in which both will be carrying the same battery pack of 71.4kwh. The front-wheel-drive model will be equipped with a 201hp electric motor with a torque of 265Nm and it will run on the road with an extended range of 516km per charge which the initially announced figure was 500km per charge. The two electric motors mounted in the Rear Wheel Drive version will be with a power of 215hp and a torque of 336Nm but provides a riding range of 470km per charge against the previous 460km per charge. All these range figures are according to the WLTP cycle (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure).
In addition to this Toyota bZ4X extended range, the Japan-based brand is also granting an optional solar panel mounted on the roof that benefits to provide extra driving range by 1800km in a year or slightly lower than 5km per day. Also, the battery on both models will be offered with an optional care program that guarantees a 70% battery capacity after ten years or 41,000,000km (620,000m). This all-electric crossover SUV will be co-developed by two Japanese brands, Toyota and Subaru in which the electrification technology is inspired by Toyota and the AWD drive train borrowed from the latter one.
Toyota bZ4X electric will be based on a new electric car platform named, the ‘e- TNGA platform’ through which electric beasts with smart and effective packaging facilities and spacious cabin space are endowed. The company has also revealed a price tag of US $55,106 for the entry-level pure trim model. The production and development procedures will be held in Japan and China and the delivery is expected to blast off in May 2022. Kia EVC, Skoda Enyaq, and Volkswagen ID4 are considered their key rivals whereas the company is targeting to add up seven more bZ models in the line-up by 2025 to condense this tough rival with topmost brands in order to strive towards the high strata of the electric industry market.
